The defending Pro Extreme world champion tied his own ADRL world record during Friday's qualifying session, running an incredible 3.581 at 211.36 miles per hour to set both ends of the track record during the opening night of the three-day LenMar Motorsports ADRL World Finals VII presented by Summit Racing Equipment at Texas Motorplex.
"It felt pretty good. I tried to go 3.57; I wanted to get the record again," Taylor said. "I thought it went a little faster, but it felt good. I could tell it was hauling the mail.
"I feel pretty confident about (Saturday)."
Three rounds of qualifying will take place on Saturday and the feature event will be the highly-anticipated "Battle For The Belts" shootout, featuring the top eight cars competing for a belt in five different classes (Pro Extreme, Pro Nitrous, Extreme 10.5, Pro Extreme Motorcycle, Extreme Pro Stock and Pro Junior Dragster).
The exciting three-day racing weekend will finish with eliminations for the World Finals VII on Sunday. World championships will also be crowned at the Texas Motorplex to conclude Sunday's festivities.
A number of potential world champions closed in on their titles on Friday and Extreme Pro Stock standout Cary Goforth clinched his first ADRL World Championship on a memorable day.
Gaylen Smith is No. 2 in Pro Extreme with a 3.645, while Jason Hamstra, the current points leader, inched closer to his championship with a 3.656 during his first qualifying run.
Mike Castellana just needed to qualify to clinch his first ADRL Pro Nitrous World Championship and it appears the Al-Anabi Racing standout has done just that.
He ran a 3.82 during qualifying, putting him in third and all but qualifying him into the field. Should that stick, Castellana will claim the title.
As far as the No. 1 qualifier, Rickie Jones laid claim to that after one session, putting together a huge career best on Friday.
Jones broke the track record, going 3.78 in a standout run.
"That was just awesome. The car launched at the start and when the front end sat back down, I knew it was on a good run. It just went perfectly straight," Jones said.
"I'm just thrilled. I thought we could do it and I just hope to keep it going."
Khalid Al-Balooshi set the track speed record, running 196.59 mph as his 3.80 puts him in second.
A month after winning for the first time in the ADRL, Grant McCrary stayed on his hot streak in Extreme 10.5 going 3.891 at 204.51 mph, which is a new track record. It was a standout run for McCrary, who is racing in the "Battle For The Belts" just an hour from home.
Dan Millen, who is closing in on a World Championship in the class, is currently No. 2 with a 3.898 while Alan Pittman is third at 3.927.
In Extreme Pro Stock, Cary Goforth made it official by simply showing up in the staging lanes. The talented driver clinched his first ADRL World Championship before he even made a run at Texas Motorplex, fulfilling his biggest goal for the 2011 season.
"All I have wanted was to win a championship. I have won races and the next step was to win a championship," Goforth said. "I am just so excited (about winning a championship).
"It is very overwhelming to think that we reached our goal this year."
Goforth was in prime form on Friday, running a 4.058 at 177.53 mph. Pete Berner ran an identical 4.058, but Goforth had the quicker speed to sit in the top spot he's held several times in 2011.
Cary's father, Dean, is currently in third with a 4.061.
A total of 26 bikes, the largest field of the 2011 ADRL season, made a qualifying pass on Friday in Pro Extreme Motorcycle, but nobody was better than Billy Vose, who continues his late-season hot streak with a 4.052 at 175.71 mph.
Vose will be one of the favorites for Saturday's "Battle For The Belts" and started his weekend in Ennis with a strong showing.
Eric McKinney ran a 4.097, while both Dave Vantine and Terry Schweigert ran 4.114. Ashley Owens, who clinched his first ADRL World Championship last month, is currently not qualified after running into trouble at the starting line on his first pass.
In Summit Racing Top Sportsman, Earl Folse jumped to the No. 1 qualifying spot after the first session, going 4.081 at 180.40 mph. The run is currently the quickest run in Summit Racing's short history in the ADRL.
Ronnie Davis, a two-time No. 1 qualifier in TS in the ADRL, is currently in second with a 4.101. Keith Rafferty is currently in third with a 4.158.
Coming off their finals matchup in Norwalk last month, Pete Farber and Lee Adkins took the top two spots in Pro Modified through one qualifying pass.
Farber, who lost to Adkins in the final last month, is currently the No. 1 qualifier with an impressive 3.923 at 191.51 mph. Adkins is right behind with a 3.935 while Khalid Al-Balooshi, racing in two classes for the second time in 2011, is No. 3 in the 12-car field with a 3.972.
In Pro Junior Dragster, Morgan Benfield is currently in first with an impressive .002 reaction time. Kaley Allen is right behind with a .006.
